This invention relates to icemakers for household refrigerators and more particularly to icemakers producing harvest facilitating-shaped ice cubes.
As used herein the term ice cube shall have its commonly accepted meaning of a mass of ice formed in a mold and commonly used to ice drinks or foods. Thus, the term ice cube shall not be limited to cube-shaped or blocks of ice but shall include crescent-shaped, disk-shaped, tear drop-shaped, hemi-spherical and other similar shapes of ice. Typically automatic icemakers for household refrigerators produce crescent-shaped ice cubes.
In producing crescent-shaped ice cubes 180, a tray including a plurality of crescent-shaped compartments is provided. Near the top of each compartment, a slot or weir extends between each compartment and its adjacent compartment to allow water to flow between compartments as they are filled with water. Often a water inlet is in fluid flow communication with a single compartment so that water fills the compartment to the point of overflowing the slot or weir and the over flow water runs through the slot or weir into the adjacent compartment. As each compartment is filled and subsequently overfilled, water runs into adjacent compartments so that each compartment is filled. Typically each of the compartments has spaced apart substantially vertical side walls with a curved wall extending therebetween. The curved wall is often a nearly semi-cylindrical wall formed about an axis extending longitudinally above the ice tray. The side walls are substantially perpendicular to the axis but angle outwardly as they extend upwardly from the curved wall to facilitate forming of the tray using a molding process. Thus, crescent-shaped ice cubes 180 are formed having side walls 182, 184 that are closer together near the bottom 186 and farther apart near the top 188, as shown, for example, in FIG. 18. However, in the prior art, at any depth within the compartment, lines extending along the side walls are substantially parallel to each other. Thus, as shown, for example, in FIG. 19, the side walls 182, 184 at the top edge, and at any depth within the ice cube 180 formed in a prior art compartment, are substantially parallel to each other. Once all compartments are filled, the water is allowed to stand in the compartments until it freezes to form ice cubes 180.
Once frozen the ice cubes 180 are ejected from each compartment, typically by turning an ejector arm or rake. The ejector arm is typically mounted above the tray to rotate about the axis. Typically a separate finger for each compartment extends radially from the ejector arm. The finger has a length sufficient to permit the free end to extend into an associated compartment when the ejector arm is rotated to urge the ice cube therein out of the compartment. To facilitate ejection, a heater often runs for a period to induce the ice tray to thermally expand. This expansion permits the ice cube 180 to slide more freely from the tray under the inducement of the ejector arm. This expansion can reduce the torque exerted on the ejector arm.
In typical icemakers, the shapes of side walls of the compartments of the ice tray may not be formed in a perfectly parallel fashion or may become deformed over time so that a portion of the ice cube 180 exhibits a greater thickness than other portions of the ice cube 180. Thus, as the ejector arm pushes the ice cube 180 out of the tray, the thicker portion of the ice cube 180 may need to be forced through a thinner area of a compartment resulting in large torques on the ejector arm and the motor driving the ejector arm. Also, bulges (not shown) often form on the tops of the ice cubes 180 as a result of freezing from the outside inwardly which could create torque problems in ejecting the ice cube. Often, icemakers run the heater longer than necessary. Present art icemakers have to heat long enough for the compartment to widen and/or the ice crescent to melt sufficiently, for the wide end to slip through the narrow center.
It would be desirable to shape the ice formed in an icemaker to facilitate ejection of the ice with less torque and with less heater run time.
The icemaker disclosed herein produces an ice cube having an improved shape.
One embodiment of the disclosed icemaker includes a tray having an ice making compartment formed to produce a tapered crescent. The tapered crescent avoids thick sections of the ice crescent from having to traverse narrower sections of the tray compartment while being ejected. This reduces the ejection torque experienced by the motor and drive train driving the ejector arm. This also reduces the amount the temperature of the tray is required to be increased for ejection and reduces chips. Reduced heat and absence of chips reduces the tendency of the crescents to melt together in the harvest bucket, improves efficiency of the refrigerator's freezer compartment and allows for usage of a less expensive drive train and motor in the icemaker.
According to one aspect of the disclosure, an icemaker assembly includes and ice tray, an ice ejector and a motor having an output shaft coupled to the ice ejector. The ice tray has at least one ice forming compartment that defines a space. The ice ejector has at least one ejector member. Rotation of the output shaft of the motor causes the ejector member to advance into the space whereby ice located in the space is urged in an ejection path of movement out of the at least one ice forming compartment. The ice forming compartment includes (i) a first planar lateral side surface, (ii) a second planar lateral side surface, and (iii) an arcuate bottom surface interposed between the first lateral side surface and the second lateral side surface. The first planar lateral side surface and the second planar lateral side surface are positioned relative to each other so that (i) the first planar lateral side surface is spaced apart from the second planar lateral side surface at a downstream end of the ice forming compartment by a distance D1 relative to the ejection path of movement, (ii) the first planar lateral side surface is spaced apart from the second planar lateral side surface at an upstream end of the ice forming compartment by a distance D2 relative to the ejection path of movement, and (iii) D2 is greater than D1.
According to a second aspect of the disclosure, an icemaker assembly includes an ice tray and an ice ejector. The ice tray has at least one ice forming compartment that defines a space. The ice ejector has at least one ejector member configured to be received in the ice forming compartment. The ice forming compartment is defined by (i) a first partition member, (ii) a second partition member, and (iii) a floor. The space is (i) interposed between the first partition member and the second partition member, and (ii) positioned above the floor. The first partition member and the second partition member are positioned relative to each other so that (i) the first partition member is spaced apart from the second partition member at a rear side of the ice tray by a distance D1, (ii) the first partition member is spaced apart from the second partition member at a front side of the ice tray by a distance D2, and (iii) D2 is greater than D1.
According to yet another aspect of the disclosure, an icemaker assembly includes an ice tray, an ice ejector and a motor having an output shaft coupled to the ice ejector. The ice tray has at least one ice forming compartment that includes a first lateral side surface, a second lateral side surface, and a bottom surface which collectively defines a space. The ice ejector has at least one ejector member. Rotation of the output shaft of the motor causes the ejector member to advance into the space whereby ice located in the space is urged in an ejection path of movement out of the ice forming compartment. A distance defined between the first lateral side surface and the second lateral side surface asymptotically increases in relation to the ejection path of movement.
Additional features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of preferred embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. Like reference characters tend to indicate like parts throughout the several views.